Left-hander Chris Sale did plenty of good in a Boston Red Sox uniform.
Unfortunately, the injuries became too prevalent, and the organization decided to move on from him during the 2023 offseason. It was the right decision from the Red Sox, but if they could go back and redo the trade, they’d likely rather have Sale on their side than with the Atlanta Braves.
Sale threw against the Red Sox in Boston on Friday night, absolutely dominating them, striking out eight hitters in 7.0 innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Sale admitted that he loves Boston, and it was “like walking into” a childhood home. Fenway, arguably the best stadium in Major League Baseball, clearly meant something to the Cy Young Award winner.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) reacts to the fans as he is honored for winning the 2024 NL Cy Young Award and other awards prior to the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park.
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
“I love it here,” Sale said, according to Sean McAdam of MassLive. “There’s no secret there. I’ve always enjoyed, even when I was with Chicago, coming here and playing. I spent seven years and had some really good moments and I appreciate this place for what it is.”
“It’s like walking into your childhood home. You just have a lot of memories that you built, a lot of relationships that you still have and appreciate. Again, you just try to push all of those to the wayside and do your job. The ceremony stops at pitch one. No one’s giving in or giving up or thinking about anything other than winning and doing their job. So I kind of had to do the same.”
Sale has been decent to start the year, posting a 3.62 ERA.
He had a few rough outings in the middle of April, inflating his ERA a bit, but he’s been nasty over his last four starts, striking out 36 hitters in that span.
